Solitude

There's a special quality in solitude, an openness to the world around me and a channel to my own thoughts that isn't quite as open when I'm around other people. When I'm with others, I am partly engaged in listening to them, and partly engaged in deciding how to respond to them. Even if we're not talking, a part of my attention is reserved for the other people.

I need a certain amount of time alone. As an introvert, it's when I refill the well, but it's not just that. Tuning into this frequency is an essential part of reconnecting with the world. There are sights, sounds, and scents I just don't pick up on when I'm engaged in relating to other people. There are ideas that only bubble up to the forefront of my mind when I'm undistracted by any other presence.

I do love being around other people. But when I'm alone, I remember who I am, on a totally different level.